This is the second and final game of the season between the Senators and the Jets.

In their first matchup in Ottawa on January 2nd, Zack Smith and Clarke MacArthur scored in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and provide the Senators with the offence they need to preserve a 4-3 win.

Craig Anderson made 32 saves in the win and helped end Al Montoya’s personal six-game winning streak. Montoya allowed four goals on 29 shots for the loss.

Storylines…

The Senators followed up their inspirational victory in Sunday’s nationally televised Heritage Classic with two listless performances against the Western Conference’s lowly Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.

With the Red Wings beating New Jersey last night, the Senators now sit six points back of Detroit’s second wild card position. Although the statistical probability of Ottawa reaching the playoffs has grown more remote, if they are going to make a run and push, they have to do it now.

Clarke MacArthur will be conspicuously from Ottawa’s lineup today. The forward did not take another shift after tussling with the Flames’ Chris Butler 19 seconds into the third period in Wednesday’s game. MacArthur sustained an injury to his hand in the tilt and will remain out of the lineup indefinitely.

Ales Hemsky made his debut in a Senators jersey after being acquired by the team at the trade deadline. He wound up with two shots on goal in almost sixteen minutes of ice-time, but when he was on the ice at five on five, the Senators directed 14 shots at the Calgary net to the six that Calgary directed at Ottawa’s net.

After being made a healthy scratch for the past two games, Jared Cowen draws back into the lineup at the expense of Patrick Wiercioch.

The Jets will miss standout rookie Mark Scheifele. The center, who is tied for fourth in NHL rookie scoring, is out for the next four weeks with a knee injury.

Craig Anderson is expected to get the start in goal.

Interesting Stat #1

Per Stats Inc., the Senators have allowed at least two goals in 13 straight games, the longest active streak in the NHL. Opponents are averaging 3.85 goals over that stretch.

Interesting Stat #2

Since the Atlanta Thrashers were relocated to Winnipeg, the Senators have not lost to the Jets at the MTS Centre. The last time the Senators lost in Winnipeg was on February 8, 1996 by a score of 6-2. Rob Gaudreau and Tom Chorske scored Ottawa’s two goals and this will probably be the one and only time that I will be able to work in a Rob Gaudreau stat into this game day preview series.

Interesting Stat #3

Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Erik Karlsson and Dustin Byfuglien are the top two

Rk

Player

GP

G

Pts

1

Erik Karlsson

161

42

149

2

Dustin Byfuglien

173

33

125

3

P.K. Subban

188

28

119

4

Alex Pietrangelo

190

23

118

T-5

Duncan Keith

184

10

117

T-5

Shea Weber

186

43

117

Shea Weber leads all defencemen with 43 goals

Interesting Stat #4

Kyle Turris scored his 20th goal of the season on Wednesday. As a professional, he has never scored more than 24 in a season. He accomplished the feat during the 2009-10 season with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage.

With four more goals, Jason Spezza will join Turris in the 20 goal club. The Senators have not had two center score 20 goals in the same season since Spezza and Mike Fisher accomplished the feat with the 2009-10 team.

Interesting Stat #5

Ottawa’s power play has been a sore spot of late. In the past ten games, the Sens have scored on two of their last 29 opportunities for a 6.9-percent success rate.

Interesting Stat #6

Heading into last night’s action, here is a ranking of the teams with the fewest total number of games in which they have held the opposition to 25 shots or fewer:

Rk

Team

Games In Which Opposition Had 25 or Fewer Shots

26

Buffalo Sabres

7

T-28

Colorado Avalanche

6

T-28

Ottawa Senators

6

T-30

Toronto Maple Leafs

5

T-30

Washington Capitals

5

As a reference, here are the teams leading the NHL in most total games in which they have held the opposition to 25 shots or fewer: